He sent me the Ganache Collection from MarieBelle chocolatiers in NYC. It arrived on the last day of my creepy landlord encroachment, so it was perfect timing for a chocolate hug. The "cake", which is more like fudge meets chocolate bar, came in a book shaped box!

I scurried to set the items up for a quick photo, so I could eat some of the chocolate candies, only to see they had pretty artwork on them, ha ha. I still ate some and shared a few with my sister, but left the nicest ones for a picture.

I didn't see there was a booklet describing each flavor combination by decoration and accidentally ate a cilantro *gags* flavored piece.

I cannot wait until it is cold enough weather for drinking the hot chocolate!

▫▫▫

He says I still have something arriving from Europe. David is thirteen years younger than I am, and I think he is trying to make it up to me for being such a horror when I babysat him.

GIFTED

Sorry this photo is so blah, but I took it at the last minute in really bad lightning. I was all excited to have a new camera, but finding the time to set up a shoot in good light is nearly impossible. I will get better pictures and views for next week. This is the A Wrinkle In Time box set that The Manchild ordered for my birthday. It is beautiful and the silver designs and font are very shiny. I was disappointed though because Book Outlet called it a boxed "set" of the quintet, but in actuality it is a bind-up of the books into one volume in a slipcase. It is extremely heavy.

BOUGHT EBOOKSGOODREADS
This is Narrative Nonfiction about the making of a violin from start to finish. It was still 99 cents at the time of this post.

GOODREADS
This is by the author of The Girl With All the Gifts. It was a $1.99 yesterday, and I posted it on Twitter and my FB blog page. I hope some of you saw it and were able to get in on the deal because it is back up to $13.99. It is a fairly new book published in April of this year.

Mike Grosso, the author of the Middle Grade, I Am Drums, is continuing his 30 Days Of Weird Instruments. This one is both colossal and hauntingly beautiful. You can listen to THE SINGING RINGING TREE: HERE.

If you have wanted to do some eerie spooky atmosphere reading for the Halloween season, but don't have the time for full length books, Talitha Nelle from VICTORIAN SOUL CRITIQUES has been reviewing creepy short stories each week. I think all of them have been linked to free Public Domain editions. HERE is the link to her latest post.

I am still looking for short personal experience ghost stories for my October 29th SATURDAY EVENING CONVERSATIONS Halloween post. You can DM me on Twitter, or send me an email at lalainthelibrary(at)gmail(dot)com.Have a stellar week!

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About Me

Hello! I am a 59 year old reader of books, many of which are YA, and literacy volunteer. I am retired from the music business, have a 25 year old son at university, believe in ghosts, and love a couple of martinis on Friday nights.

HIGHLIGHTS

Brilliant! The Imagery was stellar and the story was relatable. This would make a wonderful anime. What a spectacular way to finish up my year in reading! I was approved for this eARC , via Netgalley, in return for an honest review. I wi...

4.5 on my blog. The book gets right into the action aided by a new POV character. This new character who travels to a new, and important, location within the story is what keeps this dystopian clear of second book syndrome. Don't worry, ...

I think every teen should read this book.
4.5 stars on my blog. Why not a perfect five stars? Because I was bored out of my skull for the first 30% of this book. However, the last 50% is so much more than fabulous it almost totally made...

4.5 Stars on my blog. I accidentally requested this title on Edelweiss thinking it was The Fixer, and I am extremely happy I did! This book dealt with several sensitive issues that affect many young adults, and did it in a realistic way....

This book is spectacular! It follows a single building in Paris from 1300 to modern day. You see the building go through structural changes brought on by fires and rebuilding, changes in architectural "fashion" and upgrades, and bombing ...

Okay Goodreads, you had better be getting back to me about why my reviews are missing. Here is #12. I will have to go and copy and paste my Netgalley feedback, which was highly praising of this book, by the way!

Ha ha ha, 6.5 out of 5 on my blog if I could! This is probably the best Adult Fantasy book I have read... in my life! My review, if you like fantasy, JUST READ IT. READ IT NOW! NOW!
I have never put a gif in a Goodreads mini-review, but...

4.5 stars on my blog only because she fumbled around a little at the end to tie all plot threads together and also forgot one. An intricately woven Adult Fantasy about the origin of tarot cards, based in our modern world and an alternate...

4.5 on my blog. This book was entertaining as well as informative. The city was based on a real city that existed in Hong Kong before 1987. I have a lot of thoughts about this book and will be back to add to this mini-reciew at a decent ...

Ths is the very first time I am not going to give a book a star rating. Why? Because as an adult reading this story I LOVED IT and would give it 4.5 on my blog.
But as a Middle Grade... NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!! IT I...

To quote one of my favorite authors, Kristen Lippert-Martin, "The weirdest book I ever loved."
WARNING: This novel is not about sandcastles and ninjas.
* I think I will join Elizabeth for some popcorn and pudding.

Four stars on my blog. Why the whole star difference? Well, I know I doesn't help much, but what's up with those 2 stars ratings people?! I haven't read their reasons yet, but I will bet they are those dunderheads that say they don't lik...

4.5 stars on the blog only because there were so many secondary characters I was confused at times, until the late 25% of the book. Lol. Yeah, too many parents called by their first names. This novel has been called a story within a stor...

Um... this is the third time since the beginning of the year that there has been a disappearing rating and mini-review. I know the reviews were here because all three of them were pasted to either EW, NetG, or Amazon (sometimes all three...

This book was actually a 4 1/2, but it was one I didn't want to round down because I loved it so much. As I said in my comments it reminded me of The Casual Vacancy in style, but far less serious. It was basically a read in one sitting b...

This novel has everything I look for in a YA Fantasy story. The author gives a solid history base for the world, no-nonsense physics rules for the environment, original images, just the right amount of description for the setting to ligh...

HIGHLIGHTS

This will be 4.5 stars on my blog only because I loved the second book in this trilogy even MORE! I loved these books so much I bought all three in hardcover for my shelves. As soon as I finish the final book I will be reviewing the tril...

I will be reviewing this trilogy as a whole on my blog soon. The first two books I read pre-blogging, and I have a huge list of those early YA books which need to be reviewed. Thank goodness I read mostly series and I can review those ea...

4.5 on my blog only because I loved the second book so much. Please don't let the covers of this trilogy fool you, they are not Romance novels, I get so tired of seeing fabulous YA stories rated one and two stars because they aren't drip...

4.5 stars on my blog. I can't believe I hadn't reviewed this here yet! I am waiting to read all three books to do a blanket review on my blog because it is an older book, and the third book is supposed to be published in the US soon (it ...

This is a hidden jewel! I found this book in paperback on a $1.00 book rack at Dollar General. After I started my book blog I began scouring all of the Dollar Generals in my area for other copies to have as giveaways, but it was to no av...

See the 4 1/2 star review, with gifs and fandom links, on my blog here ----> http://lalatoadstone.blogspot.com/2014/01/splintered-my-first-blog-review.html
I was introduced to this book by two 13 year olds, Rabbit and Whisper, from a bo...

Refreshingly real and gritty! No kissy facing or love triangles; just in your face life in a dystopian world. Fen is a strong and courageous heroine, who tugs at your heart and amazes you with her facility to be both warrior and gentle c...

I would give this novel 5 and 1/2 stars if I could. What is solidifying about this review is I came into reading this book wanting to hate it because of all of the "funny business" surrounding it's pre-publication. I was pretty smug duri...

4.5 stars on my blog. After reading the first chapter I thought it was going to be just another "cookie cutter" YA Dystopian novel, but I couldn't have been more wrong!! Ms. Kipling imagines a very unique and thought provoking dystopian ...

A delightful, delicious, charming, heart-warming Middle Grade book with a message. It was like Steel Magnolias meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid wrapped up in Cinderella. This sounds so cliche, but I literally could not put it down, and I pulle...

Drum roll please...
One of my rare five star ratings!!!!
This book was exquisite, and I will be back after I have had a chance to let all of its deliciousness sink in. Brava, M.R. Graham for penning a vampire book to rival all vampire ...

I will be back with a review of this lovely book. I wanted to rate it as soon as I was finished and give it a "must read" nod. This was my first experience with Contemporary YA and it was a fabulous one! Here is the link to my full blog ...

A smooth luxurious read. I was just about finished with a full long review of this beautiful novel when the Goodread's tab dropped out, and I lost it all (damn Kindle Fire HD). I am so upset right now I can not bring myself to start over...

4.5 stars on my blog. I am so in love with this story. I was in a horrible reading slump when I picked this book up. It was probably the fifth or sixth book I had tried. I wasn't expecting to become fully engaged within the first few pag...

Well, I wrote a pretty good sized mini-review here and while I was proof reading, it jumped to another page and *poof*, all gone. I am so red-faced and fist angry right now I can't rewrite it, so... I will just say READ THIS BOOK!!! It i...